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Journalism of Courage
Malegaon blast accused Pragya Singh Thakur visited former RSS pracharak Sunil Joshis house the night after he was murdered and took away a briefcase without telling the family members that he had been killed,his family has said.
Joshi,the alleged mastermind of Malegaon and Mecca Masjid blasts,was shot dead on December 29,2007. Swami Aseemanand,in his confession,said that Joshi was involved in the Samjhauta Express blast as well.
Pragya had told the police said that the motorcycle used for the Malegaon blast was the one she had sold to Joshi.
Joshis niece Chanchal Joshi,19, told The Indian Express that she was not sure what was in the briefcase but said she did not question Pragya who was a regular visitor. I learnt that my uncle was dead only after Pragya Didi left hurriedly. A local RSS leader stayed in our house to ensure that the television set was switched off and the news of his death did not reach my grandmother, said Chanchal,the daughter of Sunil Joshis brother Anil.
She said Vasudev Parmar,one of the accused in the Joshi murder case who runs a photo studio,used to visit the family home in Vikasnagar till the death of Joshis mother. She said she did not believe the police when they arrested him because he was always nice to them.
Local RSS activists used to visit the family and made it a point to garland his photograph on his death anniversary. However,last monthafter the police said he was killed by RSS workersno one turned up on the anniversary.
The family has fallen on bad times after Joshis death. Chanchal lives with her sister and her mother at the Joshi family residence while her father,Anil,has moved out. He sends part of his salaryfrom the job that he got on compassionate groundsevery month to the family but thats hardly enough to make ends meet,said Chanchal.
When he (Sunil Joshi) was alive,we were never short of money. In fact,he lent money to many people including Parmar,but now my mother has to make chapattis in a mess, said Chanchal.
The family is bitter about RSS as well. Chanchals 10-year-old sister,a student of the local Saraswati Shishu
Mandir,was told to pay Rs 500 fee if she wanted to appear for the examination. If he was alive they would have never dared to ask for fees, said Chanchals mother,Shailja,referring to her brother-in-law.
Chanchal said she started hating the organization when the local police arrested two RSS workers for his murder.
However,the wall of the modest flat,bought months before the murder,still displays the photographs of Veer Savarkar and RSS founder K B Hedgewaralong with that of Joshi.
